Oil Paint VS Soft Pastel: Beginner Art Guide

In this video we're going to explore the main differences between creating soft pastel and oil paint art. I created two similar portraits to test some of the differences and by the end you'll have a much clearer idea of how to create art with both mediums and which may suit you best. We'll look at how messy either of them are from managing pastel dust in the workspace to easy ways for cleaning oil paint from brushes. We'll see how differently they handle colour, mixing precise tones with paint, vs using the blendability of pastels to create specific tones. We'll also compare how each finished artwork needs to be protected and cared for and the benefits and limitations that only become obvious once you've spent time working with both. So how easy is it to actually start making art with each medium? Soft pastels might seem straightforward but building a versatile collection can take time and be costly at first. To have a good range of colour and value options you'll often need quite a healthy selection of pastel sticks and pencils to choose from, along with a suitable surface made specifically for pastels and a few tools depending on how you like to work. With oil paints you can easily achieve an enormous range of colours from just a handful of paint tubes but the setup is a little more involved. Alongside the paints themselves you'll also need brushes, a palette, paper towels, cleaning materials and depending on your approach, mediums and a suitable space to work easily. In terms of simply sitting down and beginning, soft pastel has the lower barrier to entry as there is less preparation needed and the colour can go directly onto the surface straight away. With oils the paint slowly starts to dry on the palette and the first layer as you work so typically painters will need to plan for this. It's not as easy to stop and start as it is with pastels so more organization is involved. However as mentioned you only need a handful of paint tubes to achieve any colour that you may need compared to the large collection of pastel colours often needed. We can expand further on this in a little bit but having fewer materials doesn't necessarily mean that the portrait itself is easier to begin. So next let's compare how the first layers are actually established. Although these two mediums behave differently I actually begin both portraits in a near enough similar way. For both I prefer to work on a mid-tone surface as starting with the neutral colour makes it easier to judge the lighter and darker values straight away rather than trying to begin on a bright white background as everything would automatically look too dark in contrast. With pastel this stage is relatively straightforward because the paper I use, pastelmat, is available in a range of colours and I often opt for a neutral grey. With oils I normally have to create that mid-tone myself by applying a thin layer of colour to tone the canvas. Also even though most oil painting surfaces come pre-primed many artists still like to add another priming layer themselves for extra durability. So these factors add extra stages at the start because the surface has to be prepared before we can begin painting. However once the surface is ready the way I establish the first initial layers is also quite similar with both, so let me explain. With oils I mix the colours on my palette and then apply them to the surface as normal and with pastels I often do something similar for the initial layer. I can mix several pastel sticks together on a spare piece of pastelmat board and then use it as a sort of dry palette. Just like with an oil palette this allows me to refine the colour mixture to achieve the specific tones that I'm looking to use. I can then pick up that mixed pigment with a soft sponge tool and apply it to my artwork. As useful as this is for pastels we're still limited to the specific colours available and this technique only really works for the initial base layers that can be applied this way. We can't use this same technique for our pastel pencils when it comes to the later details which gives oils the upper hand as they can achieve any specific colour throughout the whole process. But at this stage I'm not concentrating on the small details yet. I'm first establishing the larger shapes, values and colour relationships that the rest of the details will later be built upon. The major difference here is how long those base layers remain workable. Pastel doesn't dry out like oils so I can stop and return another day to continue softening or blending an area. The limitation mainly comes with the amount of pigment on the surface. Pastelmat only has a certain amount of tooth to grip onto the pigment and if I repeatedly apply too much pigment or change large areas of colour for example, that tooth will gradually fill up and once that happens it becomes much harder to add new layers of pigment or details on top. With oils the paint gives me a very flexible working period while it's still wet but that period is time limited. If I want a softly blended background or a diffuse transition between colours I need to develop it while the paint is still wet and workable. That sometimes means planning a painting session so I can complete a particular area before it begins to set. Also if I want to change anything such as a background colour for example, I'll have to wait until the initial layer is dry to paint over otherwise the initial wet paint will just mix in with the new. With pastels you can just begin changing anything at any time but again you risk filling in the tooth of the paper so it's less forgiving. There's no real limit to how many layers you can apply with oils even if you have to wait for each layer to dry. We can also use mediums or solvents to alter the drying time which I'll talk about in a little bit. So the starting process is similar in principle, I use a mid-tone surface, establish the broad values and build the first colour relationships. Pastel gives me more freedom to pause and return to the blending while oils require more awareness of when the paint is wet, when it's drying and when I want to work over it. And although I can mix colours quite freely in both mediums at this broad initial stage, that changes once I begin working on the smaller details. Once the broad shapes, values and base colours are established, I can then start refining the portrait and really begin bringing it to life. This is where the difference between oils and pastels become much more noticeable. Instead of focusing on the overall structure, I'm now making smaller colour adjustments, refining edges and selectively adding the all-important details. As mentioned, I can mix colours quite freely in both mediums during the initial base layers, but the difference becomes much more apparent when the areas I'm working on become much smaller. With oil paint, I can always mix together any colour I need from a relatively small selection of tubes. If a mixture isn't quite right, I can make it slightly warmer, cooler, lighter or darker. I can also adjust the saturation until it closely matches the colour that I'm looking for. I can then apply that same mixture using whichever brush is best suited for the size and shape of the area that I'm painting, so really the options available to us with oils are almost limitless. I can also alter how the paint behaves by using different mediums. For most of my painting, I use Gamblin Refined Linseed Oil, which helps the paint flow more smoothly and helps keep it workable for longer. When using a medium with your paint, it's very important to use it sparingly, otherwise you will dilute the paint too much, increase the drying time to weeks or even months and also potentially cause cracking in the future. With pastels, the dry palette method I demonstrated earlier is very effective for mixing together soft pastel stick colours for larger areas, but at this stage I'm usually working solely with pastel pencils, so I'm limited to the specific colours available in my collection or the colours that are available to purchase from the different brands. Sometimes I have exactly the colour I need, but at other times the closest match may be slightly too warm, too cool or too bright or muted. For a larger area, I still have enough space to combine several colours by shading in light layers on top with pencils to adjust the tone for example, but on something very small such as fine hair details or other small textures, there's not going to be enough space to mix those colours without losing the shape of the detail. One thing that does rescue pastel pencils a little though is how much control and variety they give me through pressure alone. Using a light touch allows the pigment to gently blend and incorporate with the layers underneath. This is particularly useful for subtle skin tones, delicate transitions and quiet highlight details within shadow areas for example. Pressing more firmly creates a stronger and more opaque mark, which allows me to build brighter highlights or more definite accents exactly where I need them. With oils, we don't have that same limitation of available specific colour tone or value because we can mix the exact colour we need before applying it to our piece, so that gives us greater flexibility when working on tiny details especially. However, I still need to control the consistency of the paint. If it's too thin, the detail may not be strong enough, but also if it's too thick or if the layer underneath is still very wet, it may be difficult to place a detailed precise mark. Oil paint in my experience can also be a little messier to work with. As I paint and blend, the brush quickly picks up the excess paint so I'm often finding myself wiping it clean before making the next stroke. If I'm not careful, it's very easy to accidentally transfer paint into areas where I don't want it or to muddy colours that were previously clean. However, something I really appreciate about oils is the freedom that they give me when it comes to texture. There are so many different brush shapes and sizes available. Combined with the fact that I can continue building layer upon layer of paint over time, this gives me far more flexibility to create different visual textures and effects than is sometimes possible with pastels. Nevertheless, edges are another very important aspect of refining portraits and each medium tackles them differently. For realism, not every edge should be equally sharp. Softer edges allow for certain areas to fall back or merge gently into the surrounding forms, while sharper edges attract the viewer's attention and bring selected features forward. With pastels, I can usually return to an area to soften an edge without being restricted by time. I can always use a soft sponge tool, layer additional pastel over the area or gently soften with my fingers until the transition feels natural. I also find blending with pastels to be more straightforward. There's no wet paint to accidentally drag into another area, no brushes to constantly wipe clean and I can simply pick the artwork up, work on it for a while and then put it down and come back whenever I like. For anyone who prefers a simpler, less fiddly way of working, I do think that that's one of pastels biggest strengths. And when I need more definition, I can just switch to a sharpened pastel pencil to introduce a cleaner edge or smaller detail. The amount of precision I can achieve will still depend on the sharpness of the pencil and how much pigment is already on the surface. With oils, softer edges are created by allowing neighboring colors to merge while the paint is still wet. As I blend, the brush quickly picks up paint from both areas, so I'll need to wipe it clean often. Otherwise, the colors can become muddy rather than forming a clean transition. For sharper edges, I may work more carefully into the wet paint or just wait until the underlying layer has dried and place a more definite mark over on top. When I reach the final details, such as the eyes, eyelashes, hairs and other small highlights, I always aim to be selective. Sometimes less is definitely more. Adding detail everywhere doesn't necessarily make a portrait more realistic or convincing. In fact, the areas with the sharpest details usually have more impact when they are surrounded by softer, quieter areas. So overall oils give me greater freedom to mix exact colors at any stage, vary the consistency of the paint, experiment with a huge range of brushes and continue to build layers over time. That makes them incredibly versatile for creating different textures and making very precise adjustments throughout the whole painting process. Pastels, on the other hand, offer a much more relaxed and straightforward experience in my opinion. I can pick the artwork up whenever I like, blend without worrying about drying times and gradually refine the portrait at my own pace. For me, they're easier to work with day-to-day, whereas oils offer greater flexibility when I need complete control over color and texture. In my opinion, both pastels and oils excel in different areas for different reasons. So the right choice really comes down to how you enjoy working and what you want to achieve in your artwork. So far we've looked at the different experienced pastels and oils offered during the creation process, but what do they actually like to live with day-to-day? Both can be quite messy and need careful attention, but in different ways. With pastels, one of the main issues I would say is loose pigment and dust. I work upright on a French cleat wall easel, so most of that dust just falls directly onto the floor, which I can then vacuum up afterwards. Pastelmat paper also comes in a sturdy board form, which is great for working upright on an easel if you choose to. If you work flat on a desk, the dust is more likely to collect on and around your artwork, so it'll require vacuuming up often. When you do, just make sure that the artwork is secured down before vacuuming and holding the nozzle at an angle, because you don't want the suction pulling at the paper and attaching onto your artwork. I also never blow the loose pastel from the artwork, because that only sends the pigment into the air around me and therefore my lungs as well. Blending with the soft sponge tool can be an especially dusty part of the process, so good studio air management is important. I use an air purifier to help filter airborne particles, and for particularly dusty tasks, a respiratory mask is another sensible precaution. Another practical reality of working with pastels is sharpening the pencils. I don't use a conventional pencil sharpener because I just find that it can put too much pressure on the delicate pastel core and cause it to snap, so instead I carefully shave away the wood casing with a Stanley knife and then shape the exposed pastel using sandpaper or a sanding machine. It does take longer but it also allows me to create a much longer sharper point, which is especially helpful for fine hair, eyelashes and other precise details. Once sharpened, pastel pencils also need to be handled carefully as dropping one can easily cause the sharpened tip to snap off. If that happens however, I reattach it using a very small amount of super glue rather than wasting it. Oil paint creates a different type of mess. Instead of dry dust, I'm dealing with wet paint that can transfer onto my hands, brush handles, clothing and almost anything else that I touch. Ending an oil painting session also involves more cleanup. I need to deal with the paint remaining on my palette, wipe and clean any brushes, manage any mediums or solvent that I've used and leave the wet painting somewhere that it won't be touched. It's vital to clean your brushes straight after a session to prevent the paint from curing in your bristles, which is much harder to remove later on. So after a painting session, I personally find that a gentle shampoo cleans the bristles quite well, followed by a conditioner to keep the bristles soft. I like to carefully push the brush in so that the shampoo can get to all of the stubborn oil stuck inside that we can't see, just making sure not to bend the bristles too hard though. And I usually just repeat the process two or three times until all of the paint has been removed. For bristles that have hardened with paint over time, you may need to leave your brushes soaked in some solvent just to soften up the hard paint that's stuck inside and then you can proceed to cleaning them as normal. Just a quick side note as well that oil soaked cloths and paper towels also need to be handled carefully, just because drying oils can generate heat and self-combust. Also just be wary that certain oil painting solvents can release vapors that irritate the skin, eyes and respiratory system. I use Gambling Gamsol as a solvent just because it's a safer artist grade alternative to the stronger traditional solvents, as almost all of the more harmful aromatic components have been refined out and also the slow evaporation rate reduces the amount entering the ear. However odorless does not mean harmless so I still only use a small amount and make sure to maintain good studio ventilation. With pastel I would say that the cleanup itself is generally quicker as I just put the sticks and pencils back into their place, vacuum up any fallen pigment and just make sure the artwork is protected from accidental contact. Protecting the finished pastel portrait is particularly important because I don't apply any fixatives to my work. In my experience fixatives can affect the color, contrast and sharpness of any fine details. Pastelmat itself is designed to grip onto the pigment extremely well so I just prefer to rely on the surface itself rather than spraying the finished portrait. However the artwork can still be smudged if it's touched so until it's framed I store it flat with some glassine paper carefully placed over on top to protect it and this will stop it from smudging. When framing I use a picture mount to create a gap between the artwork and the glass. The pastel surface should not press directly against the glass because contact could still disturb the pigment and smudge any details. An oil painting takes longer before it can be handled safely but once the paint has fully cured there's no longer the same risk of smudging through contact. Oil paintings also don't need to be displayed behind glass if you don't want them to and a suitable varnish can be eventually added to provide further protection and to help unify the finish. The timing will depend on the paint layers and if you used a slow drying medium. You can always just work on new pieces while you wait for the old ones to fully cure. So pastel gives me the quicker cleanup routine but it requires more careful handling, storage and framing. Oil paint on the other hand creates more work at the end of each session and needs somewhere safe to fully cure but the finished surface is much easier to handle and offers more flexibility when displaying the artwork. So it's for you to decide which you would rather manage, pastel dust and delicate framing or wet paint, brush cleaning and drying time. The most common question I get asked is what materials I use and where do I get them from? So on my website I have a helpful page where you can find all of my favorite oil and pastel materials that I use day to day. I'll leave a link to this page in the description for this video. Also if you're looking to improve your art skills I have many lessons available to learn from right now over on Patreon, including both the full real-time process videos for these two portraits and many many more. We have a growing community with thousands of members and I would love to see you there sometime. If this video was helpful for you please consider liking as it helps the channel out a ton and feel free to also subscribe so that you don't miss any of my future uploads. I would also love to know what you would like a video on next so please do leave any suggestions in the comments if you have any. Thanks so much for watching and I hope to see you in the next one!